Chapter 1

Introduction

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Introduction


Getting started with software engineering

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Objectives

To introduce software engineering and to explain its
importance

To set out the answers to key questions about software
engineering

To introduce ethical and professional issues and to
explain why they are of concern to software engineers

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Topics covered

FAQs about software engineering

Professional and ethical responsibility

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Software engineering

The economies of ALL developed nations are
dependent on software

More and more systems are software controlled

Software engineering is concerned with theories,
methods and tools for professional software development

Software engineering expenditure represents a
significant fraction of GNP in all developed countries

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Software costs

Software costs often dominate system costs. The costs
of software on a PC are often greater than the hardware
cost

Software costs more to maintain than it does to develop.
For systems with a long life, maintenance costs may be
several times development costs

Software engineering is concerned with cost-effective
software development

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FAQs about software
engineering

What is software?

What is software engineering?

What is the difference between software engineering and
computer science?

What is the difference between software engineering and
system engineering?

What is a software process?

What is a software process model?

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FAQs about software engineering

What are the costs of software engineering?

What are software engineering methods?

What is CASE (Computer-Aided Software Engineering)

What are the attributes of good software?

What are the key challenges facing software
engineering?

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What is software?

Computer programs and associated documentation

Software products may be developed for a particular
customer or may be developed for a general market

Software products may be
• Generic - developed to be sold to a range of different
customers
• Bespoke (custom) - developed for a single customer according
to their specification

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What is software engineering?

Software engineering is an engineering discipline which
is concerned with all aspects of software production

Software engineers should adopt a systematic and
organised approach to their work and use appropriate
tools and techniques depending on the problem to be
solved, the development constraints and the resources
available

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What is the difference between software
engineering and computer science?

Computer science is concerned with theory and
fundamentals; software engineering is concerned with
the practicalities of developing and delivering useful
software

Computer science theories are currently insufficient to
act as a complete underpinning for software engineering

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What is the difference between software
engineering and system engineering?

System engineering is concerned with all aspects of
computer-based systems development including
hardware, software and process engineering. Software
engineering is part of this process

System engineers are involved in system specification,
architectural design, integration and deployment

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What is a software process?

A set of activities whose goal is the development or
evolution of software

Generic activities in all software processes are:
• Specification - what the system should do and its development
constraints
• Development - production of the software system
• Validation - checking that the software is what the customer
wants
• Evolution - changing the software in response to changing
demands

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What is a software process model?

A simplified representation of a software process,
presented from a specific perspective

Examples of process perspectives are
• Workflow perspective - sequence of activities
• Data-flow perspective - information flow
• Role/action perspective - who does what

Generic process models
• Waterfall
• Evolutionary development
• Formal transformation
• Integration from reusable components

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What are the costs of software engineering?

Roughly 60% of costs are development costs, 40%
are testing costs. For custom software, evolution
costs often exceed development costs

Costs vary depending on the type of system being
developed and the requirements of system attributes
such as performance and system reliability

Distribution of costs depends on the development
model that is used

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What are software engineering methods?

Structured approaches to software development which include
system models, notations, rules, design advice and process
guidance

Model descriptions
• Descriptions of graphical models which should be produced

Rules
• Constraints applied to system models

Recommendations
• Advice on good design practice

Process guidance
• What activities to follow

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What is CASE (Computer-Aided
Software Engineering)

Software systems which are intended to provide
automated support for software process activities. CASE
systems are often used for method support

Upper-CASE
• Tools to support the early process activities of requirements
and design

Lower-CASE
• Tools to support later activities such as programming,
debugging and testing

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What are the attributes of good software?

The software should deliver the required functionality and
performance to the user and should be maintainable,
dependable and usable

Maintainability
• Software must evolve to meet changing needs

Dependability
• Software must be trustworthy

Efficiency
• Software should not make wasteful use of system resources

Usability
• Software must be usable by the users for which it was designed

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What are the key challenges facing
software engineering?

Coping with legacy systems, coping with increasing
diversity and coping with demands for reduced delivery
times

Legacy systems
• Old, valuable systems must be maintained and updated

Heterogeneity
• Systems are distributed and include a mix of hardware and
software

Delivery
• There is increasing pressure for faster delivery of software

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Professional and ethical responsibility

Software engineering involves wider responsibilities than
simply the application of technical skills

Software engineers must behave in an honest and
ethically responsible way if they are to be respected as
professionals

Ethical behaviour is more than simply upholding the law.

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Issues of professional responsibility

Confidentiality
• Engineers should normally respect the confidentiality of their
employers or clients irrespective of whether or not a formal
confidentiality agreement has been signed.

Competence
• Engineers should not misrepresent their level of competence.
They should not knowingly accept work which is outwith their
competence.

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Issues of professional
responsibility

Intellectual property rights
• Engineers should be aware of local laws governing the use of
intellectual property such as patents, copyright, etc. They
should be careful to ensure that the intellectual property of
employers and clients is protected.

Computer misuse
• Software engineers should not use their technical skills to
misuse other people’s computers. Computer misuse ranges
from relatively trivial (game playing on an employer’s machine,
say) to extremely serious (dissemination of viruses).

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ACM/IEEE Code of Ethics

The professional societies in the US have cooperated to
produce a code of ethical practice.

Members of these organisations sign up to the code of
practice when they join.

The Code contains eight Principles related to the
behaviour of and decisions made by professional
software engineers, including practitioners, educators,
managers, supervisors and policy makers, as well as
trainees and students of the profession.

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Code of ethics - preamble

Preamble
• The short version of the code summarizes aspirations at a high
level of the abstraction; the clauses that are included in the full
version give examples and details of how these aspirations
change the way we act as software engineering professionals.
Without the aspirations, the details can become legalistic and
tedious; without the details, the aspirations can become high
sounding but empty; together, the aspirations and the details
form a cohesive code.
• Software engineers shall commit themselves to making the
analysis, specification, design, development, testing and
maintenance of software a beneficial and respected profession.
In accordance with their commitment to the health, safety and
welfare of the public, software engineers shall adhere to the
following Eight Principles:

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Code of ethics - principles

1. PUBLIC
• Software engineers shall act consistently with the public
interest.

2. CLIENT AND EMPLOYER
• Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the
best interests of their client and employer consistent with
the public interest.

3. PRODUCT
• Software engineers shall ensure that their products and
related modifications meet the highest professional
standards possible.

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Code of ethics - principles

JUDGMENT
• Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence
in their professional judgment.

5. MANAGEMENT
• Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to
and promote an ethical approach to the management of
software development and maintenance.

6. PROFESSION
• Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation
of the profession consistent with the public interest.

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Code of ethics - principles

7. COLLEAGUES
• Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their
colleagues.

8. SELF
• Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning
regarding the practice of their profession and shall promote an
ethical approach to the practice of the profession.

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Ethical dilemmas

Disagreement in principle with the policies of senior
management

Your employer acts in an unethical way and releases a
safety-critical system without finishing the testing of the
system

Participation in the development of military weapons
systems or nuclear systems

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Key points

Software engineering is an engineering discipline which is concerned with all
aspects of software production.

Software products consist of developed programs and associated
documentation. Essential product attributes are maintainability,
dependability, efficiency and usability.

The software process consists of activities which are involved in developing
software products. Basic activities are software specification, development,
validation and evolution.

Methods are organised ways of producing software. They include
suggestions for the process to be followed, the notations to be used, rules
governing the system descriptions which are produced and design
guidelines.

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Key points

CASE tools are software systems which are designed to support routine
activities in the software process such as editing design diagrams, checking
diagram consistency and keeping track of program tests which have been
run.

Software engineers have responsibilities to the engineering profession and
society. They should not simply be concerned with technical issues.

Professional societies publish codes of conduct which set out the standards
of behaviour expected of their members.

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